Nav Social Menu

Homemade Kaiser Rolls

Make your own homemade Kaiser Rolls! A crusty roll perfect for overstuffed sandwiches or dipping into soup or butter. Includes multiple ways to shape the rolls to achieve the star/crown design.

Kaiser Rolls (also known as Emperor Rolls or Vienna Rolls) have multiple versions of the recipe on the interwebs.

Originally they were apparently made with malt, and I don’t know about you but malt is not an ingredient I have in my kitchen. So I went with a version that uses whipped egg whites.

Besides the egg whites, the main difference about these rolls is the shape. It is supposed to resemble a five-point crown, and I’ve included 3 different ways to achieve this!

But first, prepping the yeast. This is the trickiest part of any bread recipe, and especially for one as fluffy as a kaiser roll. The good news is you will know early on if your yeast is working properly!

Proofing the yeast with warm water and sugar should result in a bubbly mixture after about 5 minutes. After adding a bit of the flour and letting it stand for another 5-10 minutes, the air pockets should be very apparent.

After you know your yeast is working, you’ll mix in the whipped egg whites and the rest of the flour and knead the dough until smooth.

I prefer to do this by hand, but you can also use a stand mixer with a dough attachment.

Then cover in an oiled bowl and let rise for about an hour or until doubled.

Now THAT is a good rise!

Punch it down…

And separate into 9 balls.

Now, for the shaping methods.

Shaping Option #1

Form the ball of dough into a flat circle, and fold in the edges at five points (think like a star) like so:

Shaping Option #2:

Roll the ball of dough into a log, about 7 inches long. Tie into a knot.

Tuck the piece of dough sticking out on the right underneath the roll.

And pull the piece of dough sticking out on the left over top the roll, tucking in to the center.

This method is my favorite but during the second rise the pieces can pop out a bit if they aren’t as secure:

But it all tastes the same in the end.

Shaping Option #3

If you’re somebody who likes to have a kitchen gadget for every occasion, there is one specifically for this recipe! A kaiser roll stamp (affiliate link) is a third option to achieve the design.

In a small bowl combine yeast, warm water and sugar. Let stand for 5 minutes or until bubbly.

Add butter, salt and 1 1/2 cups of the flour and stir to combine. Let stand another 5-10 minutes until bubbly.

Meanwhile, beat the egg whites until slightly stiff. Stir into the flour mixture and gradually add in the remaining 1 1/2 cups flour.

Knead on a lightly floured surface (or using a stand mixer) for 5-10 minutes, adding more flour as needed, until smooth.

Lightly oil the bowl with the olive oil and place dough back in bowl. Cover and let rise for 1 hour or until doubled.

Divide dough into 9 balls.

To shape the dough:

Option 1: Form each ball of dough into a flat circle, and fold in the edges at five points (think like a star). (See post for pictures.)

Option 2: Roll each ball of dough into a log, about 7 inches long. Tie into a knot. Tuck the piece of dough on the right underneath the roll. And pull the piece of dough sticking out on the left over top the roll, tucking in to the center. (See post for pictures.)